The Exorcism of Bailey Pickett
by Lady Emily
Summary: What if the spirit of Princess Zaria had not left Bailey's body at the end of "Can You Dig It?"? The gang comes together to find a way to free her, and, you guessed it: exorcisms ensue. COMPLETE!
1. Part I

A/N: Okay, this is a longer one (for me), and a weird one. It's based on another prompt from Boris Yeltsin, who requested a "Can You Dig It?" alternate ending story where Bailey needs an exorcism to free her from Princess Zaria. (It's weird because it's a vaguely uncomfortable mixture of a _Suite Life_ episode and Roman Catholic dogma/ritual- a rather solemn topic...) Anyway, it took me forever to write it, so I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own and am not making any profit from the use of these characters.

* * *

It was midnight when Zack Martin was rudely awoken by pounding on his cabin door. The pounding stopped for a second, then continued twice as loud and fast as before. Groaning, he swung his legs out of bed and stumbled to the door, tripping over shoes, clothes, and other assorted debris in the darkened cabin. He opened the door, squinting in the bright light of the hallway. "London? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!"

London wasn't looking too happy herself. She was dressed in a fuzzy bathrobe over silken leopard print pajamas and slippers, carrying a pillow and a sleep mask, and wearing an angry frown. "Bailey kicked me out."

Zack couldn't believe his ears. "Bailey kicked you out?" he repeated skeptically. The Kansas farmgirl had a perpetually sweet disposition and always tried her hardest to get along with London, which wasn't always easy. To say that London was a high-maintenance roommate would be a severe understatement.

"Well, she told me if I didn't get out and leave her alone she was going to tie my arms and legs together with my own intestines and throw me overboard!" London pouted. "I don't know what 'intestines' are, but she made them sound gross."

"Wow." Zack said. "You must really have ticked her off. You weren't showcasing her underwear on the Internet again, were you?"

"Not even!" London said. "She's just been in a really bad mood ever since we left that... dirt-digging place." Reaching out a hand, she pushed Zack aside and stepped into his room. "Anyway, I'm moving in."

"What?" Zack said incredulously. "But you can't-"

"Marcus is still in the infirmary with that spider bite. You have an extra bed." London pointed out. "Now get out of the way, I need my beauty sleep."

"But-"

London leveled a glare at him as he tried to protest. "My Daddy owns the boat. If you can't share this room, one of us is leaving and it ain't me."

Zack snapped his mouth shut and moved aside. "Fine. But if I get in trouble for this..." he grumbled.

"Great. And would you bring in my overnight bag?" London said, smiling sweetly and making for the extra bed.

Zack looked into the hallway and saw a huge suitcase sitting in the middle of the corridor. His eyes widened- she was seriously planning on moving into his room! Looking back, he saw that London was already curled up in Marcus's bed, sleep mask pulled over her eyes, snoring softly.

"Yeah... this isn't gonna end well."

* * *

"Dude, you have got to do something about your girlfriend." Zack hissed to his brother the next day before class. Less than 24 hours of having London as a roommate and she was already driving him nuts.

Cody turned around and glared at him. "First of all, Bailey is her own person and I don't control her. Second of all, why should I do anything to help you?"

Zack winced. "You're mad." Obviously Cody was still sore about the way Zack had taken credit for his archomological find. Well, Zack had still technically found the Crown of Zaria, even if Cody had been the one who knew where to look. Besides, the crown was sitting in a glass case in some boring museum by now, and who cared whose name was on the exhibit plaque? That had happened a full two days ago, wasn't it time to let bygones be bygones?

"Did you reach that conclusion by yourself or did someone else figure it out for you?" Cody said sarcastically.

"Geez, I said I was sorry." Zack reminded him. "Besides, who cares about some dumb old crown? That thing was ugly as sin."

"It was a priceless artifact of immense historical value!" Cody hissed back. "You're getting the credit for it and you don't even appreciate its importance!"

Zack knew he needed to calm his brother down if he wanted his help. He held out his hands in a placating manner. "You're right." he said calmly. "...But this isn't about me, it's about Bailey."

Cody frowned at him suspiciously. "What about her?"

"Really?" Zack deadpanned. "You seriously haven't noticed anything _off_ about her in the past couple days?"

Cody shrugged. "So she's been acting a little moody lately."

"Sure, if by 'a little moody' you mean 'criminally insane'..." Zack pointed out.

"Hey!" Cody began defensively, then sighed. "The truth is, I'm worried about her too. Something is obviously bothering her, but she won't talk to me, believe me, I tried." he nodded at Bailey's empty seat. "She hasn't even been showing up for classes. It's not like her."

"So say something to her." Zack urged.

"Uh, no thanks." Cody said. "I think we both know that suggesting to a woman that her attitude is anything less than pleasant is just asking for it. You say something to her. She can't dump _you_."

"Not gonna happen." Zack said. "I like my intestines where they are. Besides, you're the sensitive, caring one. And her boyfriend. I'm sure she'll open up to you."

"Yeah, or maybe she'll _open up_ my chest and twist my lungs into balloon animals." Cody said.

"Did she really threaten to do that to you?" Zack asked in disbelief.

Cody winced, rubbing his chest subconsciously. "Essentially. Look, I'm sure she just needs some time to cool down. From... whatever it is she's upset about. What's it to you anyway? You don't even care about the feelings of the girls _you_ date."

"Hey, I resent that." Zack said. "Bailey is my friend, and she's upset about something, and- oh, what the heck. London decided that she needs a new roommate until Bailey snaps out of it, and I'm the lucky winner. She's already 'made over' my room, so I really need the old Bailey back."

Cody burst out laughing. "London moved in with you? Marcus is going to be sorry he missed this..."

They quieted down as Miss Tutweiller entered and began the lesson. When the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, the class began to file out. "Cody, can I speak with you for a minute?" Miss Tutweiller called over the heads of the exiting students.

Cody looked startled but approached her desk. As soon as everyone else had left, Miss Tutweiller rubbed the back of her neck, as if wondering where to begin. "Cody... I don't like to pry into my students' personal lives, but... has something happened between you and Bailey?"

Cody raised his eyebrows. "Uh, no, I don't think so." he said unsurely. "Why... did she say something about me?"

"Oh, no, no." Miss Tutweiller smiled, waving him off. "It's just..." her smile faltered. "That I was worried about her when she wasn't in class yesterday, so on my way to my cabin I decided to slip her homework packet under her cabin door."

"That was nice of you." Cody said slowly, not seeing where this was going. "She _does_ hate it when being sick gets in the way of her schoolwork."

"Yes, that's what I thought." Miss Tutweiller said. "Anyway, I slid it under her door and walked away, and before I took three steps she slid _this_ back." From her desk drawer she removed a plastic sandwich bag filled with the ashy remains of charred paper. "It was still smoldering..." she finished lamely, at a loss for words.

"Well _that's_ not like Bailey." Cody said, stunned.

"No, it isn't." Miss Tutweiller agreed, her tone concerned, bordering on anxious. "I just thought maybe you might have an idea of what's wrong."

Cody shrugged helplessly. "I've tried to talk to her, Miss Tutweiller, but she's been acting weird ever since we visited the Temple of Zaria. I don't know what else to do."

Miss Tutweiller bit her lip. "I'm afraid school protocol dictates that I set up a session for Bailey with the school counselor."

"Mr. Blanket?" Cody protested. "He's probably the craziest person on the ship! How is he going to help her?"

"I know, I know. Believe me, I know." Miss Tutweiller fretted. "But it's school policy to assign mandatory counseling to any student displaying random acts of violence or aggression. Which includes setting one's homework _aflame_." she noted, waving the baggie of flaky ash.

"I understand." Cody said. "What if I try to talk to her one more time, and if I can't get through to her, then we can call in Mr. Blanket?"

Miss Tutweiller smiled at him. "I was hoping you would suggest that. When should we talk to her?"

Cody looked uncomfortable. "I was hoping to try to talk to her alone..." The look in Tutweiller's eyes told him she had no intention of letting him confront Bailey by himself.

"Now? Great." Miss Tutweiller said. She pulled a fire extinguisher from underneath her desk. "Let's go."

* * *

Cody rapped gently on Bailey's cabin door. "Bailey? Sweetie?" He tried to ignore Miss Tutweiller, who was standing a few steps back wielding a fire extinguisher. It was difficult to try sweet-talking his girlfriend in front of a teacher, but it was what he had to do. He pressed his body to the door and pretended he was talking directly to Bailey. "Bails, it's Cody. Can we just talk?" There was no answer from inside. "Bailey, I know you're upset about something. Please, just let me in. I can help you." This time a distinct snarling came from inside the room and Cody and Miss Tutweiller looked at each other nervously. "Sweetie, if you don't talk to me you're going to get written up and have to talk to Mr. Blanket. You can trust me. Please."

The door swung open suddenly and Cody, who had been leaning his weight against the door, toppled into the room. He was prevented from hitting the floor when a strong hand grabbed the front of his collar and hoisted him up. "_Who is Mr. Blanket?_" Bailey questioned in a deep, commanding voice that was not hers. She was wearing unusual clothes made of fur and leather, and her dark-toned makeup and wild hair gave her a feral, animalistic look.

"Buh, B- Bailey..." Cody stuttered, "You know Mr. Blanket. The school counselor. The one who handcuffed Zack and Moseby together." His face was turning red from lack of oxygen as she kept her grasp on his collar. "Please, baby, just talk to me. What's wrong?" His eyes were watering now as he looked to Miss Tutweiller for help. "Can't breathe... Call Mr. Blanket..."

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Bailey suddenly cried, in her usual voice. She loosened her hold on Cody for a moment before her grip became choking once more. "_Silence, fool!_"

"Haha, okay kids." Miss Tutweiller laughed nervously. "That's enough of that." she said, turning the nozzle on Bailey and spraying the extinguisher.

* * *

"Now, Miss Pickett. Bailey. Can I call you Bailey?" Mr. Blanket began cordially, as if his patient was not snarling at him and being forcibly restrained by Cody and Miss Tutweiller.

"_Release me, you lowlife peasantry!_" Bailey was shouting in a low, rough voice. "_Your heads will roll for this indignity!_"

Cody looked at his girlfriend with wide eyes as she fought to tear her wrist from his hold. "Bailey, don't do this." he pleaded quietly.

Mr. Blanket cleared his throat and looked at Cody and Miss Tutweiller expectantly. "Cody? _Emma?_" his voice took on a leery tone which made Miss Tutweiller very uneasy, but he promptly continued in a normal voice. "These sessions are confidential."

"This might have to be a special case, Mr. Blanket." Miss Tutweiller ground out, trying to keep her grip on Bailey's other wrist. "She's the slightest bit... violent."

"Nonsense, I'm sure she'll be cooperative." Mr. Blanket said blithely. "We're all friends here, aren't we, Bailey?"

Growling, Bailey strained against Cody and Miss Tutweiller's holds. "_You imbecile. Make them release me!_"

"Release her!" Mr. Blanket smiled gleefully, throwing his hands into the air.

Cody and Miss Tutweiller looked at each other helplessly before simultaneously letting go of her hands. Bailey immediately leaped forward, her hands reaching for Mr. Blanket's throat. Before she could touch him, Mr. Blanket slapped her face, hard. Bailey spun around, looking stunned and docile, and Cody caught her as she teetered off balance.

"Mr. Blanket!" Miss Tutweiller cried, horrified. "Hitting a student is unacceptable!"

Cody's mouth had dropped open in rage as he gently examined the red mark on Bailey's cheek. He glared at Mr. Blanket. "How _dare_ you?"

"That's the Blanket Method." Mr. Blanket shrugged.

"It's Zaria!" Bailey gasped in a normal voice, beginning to shake in Cody's arms. "Help me! She's inside-" Suddenly she stiffened and straightened up, turning an icy glare on Cody. "_How dare YOU touch your princess! You will show some respect to the throne, lowly knave, and BOW to me!_" She struck out and slapped Cody's face, the force of the blow driving him to his knees.

"Okay, ow." Cody mumbled, testing his jaw with his hand. Not daring to stand back up, he rocked back on his heels, confused. Why was Bailey acting crazy one minute and fine the next? Why was her voice changing like that? What did she mean about Zaria? The pieces came together for him in an instant. He took a deep breath. "I have a theory."

Mr. Blanket looked affronted. "_I_ have _tons_ of theories." he said petulantly.

"Did you hear what she just called herself?" Cody said. "She thinks she's a princess. Princess Zaria!"

"Split-personality. That was one of my theories." Mr. Blanket said.

"Oh, thank goodness you have a scientific explanation." Miss Tutweiller said. "For a minute there I was afraid Cody meant she was possessed!"

Cody pursed his lips thoughtfully. It went against all of his instincts to propose a supernatural explanation for Bailey's condition, but he had to admit that the lore of Zaria's culture was filled with tales of spirits, witchcraft, and otherworldly phenomena. "Actually, that's what I did mean." Cody admitted. "The legend stated that Zaria would rise again to reclaim her crown... Maybe once the crown was rediscovered, Zaria's ghost was reawakened, and she chose Bailey to be her vessel!"

"Hmm, yesss." Mr. Blanket murmured, stroking his chin. "Possession. That was my next theory."

Miss Tutweiller looked back and forth between Cody and Mr. Blanket incredulously. "Seriously? Ghostly possession? Do you realize how crazy you sound?" Looking at Mr. Blanket, she realized who she was talking to and rolled her eyes.

"Cody's right! It's her!" Bailey exclaimed suddenly. "Get her out-" She was cut off again by the deep voice of Zaria. "_Be silent, slave!_" Bailey's arm reached around and yanked roughly on her own hair. "Ow! Stop it!" "_Continue your foolish outbursts and I will strip the flesh from your bones!_" Zaria raged. "You can't! You need me!" Bailey cried triumphantly. "_You are expendable._" Zaria proclaimed threateningly. "_I can always choose a new vessel!_"

Cody, Mr. Blanket, and Miss Tutweiller, who were watching the exchange in horror and bewilderment, each jumped back a few feet at the threat.

Cody took a hesitant step forward and looked Bailey/Zaria in the eyes. "Bailey, if you're in there, and you can hear me, I'll find a way to free you." he vowed solemnly. "I promise. Just hold on."

Bailey smiled a cruel smile and took a step forward, coming nose to nose with Cody. "_That's where you're wrong, boy. She's mine now._"

* * *

A/N: It's about to get weirder. Please review and tell me what you thought!


	2. Part II

A/N: Thanks for all your comments and encouragement! To clarify, this is what would have happened if Bailey hadn't attacked Zack during his interview on the Sky Deck, so they didn't realize she was possessed until after they had left the country (and the crown) behind. Shorter chapter this time, but I really like this scene. Enjoy!

* * *

"There you all are!" Cody said, walking into the infirmary with a stack of books and notebooks under his arm. Zack, Woody, and London were gathered around Marcus, who looked like he had seen better days.

"There _you_ are!" Marcus said from the bed. "I hope visiting me in the hospital isn't cutting into your reading time." he added sarcastically.

Cody stared at Marcus in shock. A thick layer of gauze was wrapped around his friend's head like a sweatband, and both of his arms were in slings. One of his feet was slightly elevated and encased in a cast halfway to his knee. "I thought you were in here for a spider bite!"

"Yeah, it bit me." Marcus said, gesturing to a couple of faint reddish puncture marks on the back of one hand. "After it was done beating the tar out of me with the bathroom stick."

"But what about that?" Cody asked with concern, pointing to the cast.

"It stepped on my foot." Marcus explained.

Cody paled. "You saw a spider THAT BIG attacking Marcus and didn't try to help him?" he demanded of Zack.

Zack shrugged. "There was only one stick, and the spider had it."

Marcus gave Zack a weak thump on the shoulder, cringing at the impact on his arm. "It's alright, man. If it were me, and I saw that spider attacking you, I, too, would have screamed like a little girl and run in the opposite direction."

"See, Cody, Marcus understands."

"What are all the books for?" Woody asked Cody.

Cody sighed. "Research on Princess Zaria. I've been translating hieroglyphics all day trying to find out how to get her spirit to stop possessing Bailey with no luck. I was hoping you guys could help me out."

London, Woody, and Zack stared at him blankly.

"Okay, you _must_ be tired." Marcus pointed out. "You need to think about who you're talking to."

"Good point." Cody said, sinking into a chair and rubbing a hand over his face.

"I can help!" London spoke up, pulling a thick wad of cash out of her purse. "Have you tried paying her to stop?"

"You're suggesting we _bribe_ Zaria to get out of Bailey?" Cody asked in a tone that said it was the stupidest idea he'd ever heard.

"No..." London scoffed. "I'm suggesting we _negotiate_. For money."

"London..." Marcus said gently. "Let's think about this for a minute. Zaria is a ghost..."

"Ooh, you're right." London said, stuffing the money back into her purse. "Daddy always says that a Tipton never negotiates with dead terrorists."

"Oh! I have an idea!" Woody exclaimed. "Did you try true love's kiss?"

"Woody, that's a fairytale." Cody said in exasperation. "And it's supposed to be used for enchanted sleep, not _demonic possession_."

"Plus, I'm sure Cody would like to keep his lips." Zack added. The others looked at him reproachfully. "What? That Zaria is one angry chick!"

Miss Tutweiller slipped into the room, pressing herself against the wall beside the door. "Is he still behind me?" she hissed at the kids.

"Who?" London said.

Mr. Blanket walked into the room. "There you are,_ Emma..._ Almost lost you there!"

"'Fraid so." Zack answered his teacher.

Miss Tutweiller sighed in defeat. "How's the brainstorming coming, Cody?"

"Well, we've just finished debating the relevance of the true love's kiss method, so that should give you an indication." Cody said dryly.

Mr. Blanket folded his arms. "As a trained psychologist, I highly recommend that method."

"No offense, Mr. Blanket, but no one here believes that you're trained in anything, let alone psychology." Cody replied. "Wait a minute. Where's Bailey now?"

"We left her with Mr. Moseby." Mr. Blanket answered, seemingly ignoring Cody's insult.

"Actually," Miss Tutweiller cleared her throat and chuckled nervously. "Technically, you _handcuffed_ her to Mr. Moseby." she pointed out. "Poor man..."

Cody jumped up. "Mr. Blanket, she's possessed! She could hurt someone!"

"Well duh, why do you think we ditched her?" Mr. Blanket said. "She just kept ranting about her lost crown, and then she said if we didn't take her to it she would flay the skin from our bones."

"Ew!" London squealed. "Wait, what does 'flay' mean?"

"Beats me." Zack shrugged. "The point is, we know Zaria wants the crown. Maybe if we just give it to her, she'll leave Bailey alone."

"But we can't get the crown. It's the most valuable exhibit in their national history museum: there's no way her country's government is going to let us have it." Cody pointed out.

London opened her purse again. "Do you think they would let us have it for... a hundred thousand dollars?"

"Probably not, London." Miss Tutweiller said regretfully, looking at London's purse in awe.

"A thousand thousand?"

"I doubt it." Cody said morosely, not bothering to point out that a thousand thousand was, in fact, a million. "The Crown of Zaria is a national treasure. There are some things more important than money."

London recoiled from him in shock. "Cody!" she reprimanded, as if he'd said a dirty word.

Cody sank back into his seat, burying his face in his hands. "None of this is going to help Bailey." he said miserably. "She's getting worse and I don't know how to save her."

"Too bad we can't just do an exorcism." Zack remarked offhandedly.

Cody's head snapped up. "An exorcism." he said slowly. "Why not? It might work."

"Only if we were in a scary movie." Zack retorted. "Nobody really does exorcisms, do they?"

"Sure!" Cody said. "They're rare, but there are some documented cases of successful exorcisms. There are exorcism rituals in almost every major religion!"

"But where are we going to find someone to exorcise Bailey?" Marcus wanted to know.

"Ooh, I can do it!" London volunteered excitedly, raising her hand. "I once helped Maddie pass gym class by letting her carry my shopping bags. That's great exorcise!"

"No, _exorcising _her will make the spirit _leave_." Marcus explained to the heiress.

"Well _that's_ good." London said. "It would suck if she had to be sweaty _and_ possessed."

"London... an exorcism is... oh, never mind." Cody said. He looked around at the rest of the group. "Now we just have to get a hold of a priest somehow. Any ideas?"

As if in answer to his question, the shipwide intercom clicked on and Mr. Moseby's panicky voice sounded through the speakers. "_Attention all passengers: Is there a priest in the house?_"

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading- don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!


	3. Part III

A/N: Thanks so much to all my reviewers! You guys are the best. Haha Boris, I know the exorcise/exercise joke was obvious but I had to keep it in- "It would suck if she had to be sweaty _and_ possessed!" turned out to be one of those rare lines that actually makes _me_ laugh at my own writing lol... Oh and I changed the name of the priest (I kept his first name, but I didn't want him to BE the guy from _The Exorcist_.)

Disclaimer: In addition to not owning the _Suite Life_ characters, I also don't own the movie _The Exorcist_. (Yes, of course I had to include_ Exorcist_ references. Additionally- minor spoilers for that movie appear in this chapter, although posting spoiler alerts for a movie that came out in 1973 seems a little... silly.)

* * *

Zack, Cody, Woody, London, Miss Tutweiller, and Mr. Blanket rushed out of the infirmary and up to the lobby. Mr. Moseby was there- still handcuffed to Bailey- and Kirby the security guard was helping to restrain the snarling, spitting girl. Both men looked like they'd recently been in a wrestling match with a tiger; their clothes were shredded and long scratch marks covered their arms and hands.

"I just don't understand it, Mr. Moseby." Kirby was saying, trying as best he could to keep hold of Bailey's arms. "She's usually a real nice girl... But _strong _like you wouldn't think..."

Mr. Moseby didn't answer, seeing the group that had just entered the room. "BLANKET!" he yelled. "You handcuffed me to a possessed girl!"

"Hmm... yes." Mr. Blanket said soothingly, pulling a notepad and pen out of his jacket. "And how does that make you _feel_?" He looked to Moseby expectantly, pen resting over the paper to take notes.

"Well..." Mr. Moseby paused for a second. "Angry. IT MAKES ME ANGRY!"

At that moment Bailey began screaming something they couldn't understand.

"What is she even _saying_?" London asked in annoyance.

Cody was looking at Bailey with a mixture of horror and fascination. "I think... I think she's using Zaria's language. It's a dead language- we only know it from the hieroglyphs. We must be the first people to hear it spoken in hundreds of years." he cringed as she shouted some harsh-sounding words at him. "And if I'm understanding this right, someone needs to wash her mouth out with soap."

Mr. Moseby looked extremely uneasy, trying to move as far from Bailey as he could while their arms were connected. "Mr. Blanket, the key?"

"What key?" Mr. Blanket tapped his mouth with the end of his pen. "Tell me more about this key."

"It unlocks the handcuffs!" Mr. Moseby shouted in frustration.

"Oh, _that_ key." Mr. Blanket said, then shrugged, patting his stomach. "Happy tummy."

Zack looked at him in disbelief. "You swallowed _another_ handcuff key? Dude, all that iron can't be good for you."

Miss Tutweiller took pity on Moseby and moved toward him. "Here, Mr. M." she said nervously, pulling a bobby pin out of her hair. "Let me see if I can get this off you." Keeping an anxious eye on the screaming Bailey, she inserted the pin into the lock of Mr. Moseby's cuff and jiggled it around until it popped open. Both adults scrambled away from Bailey.

"Thank you, Emma." Mr. Moseby said, grateful and impressed. "Dare I ask where you learned to do that?" he teased.

Miss Tutweiller blushed. "Oh, well, I used to have this boyfriend who was really into-" She looked at the kids. "...Locksmithing."

Zack and Cody exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Mr. Moseby?" London spoke up, oblivious. "Why did you call for a priest?" Then she frowned. "And why did _we _come? _We're_ not priests!"

"I'm a priest." said a voice from behind her. "My name is Damien Anastos. How can I help you?" The speaker was a dark-haired, handsome man in his early 30s, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals.

Mr. Moseby clasped his hands together. "How to say this? We believe that this girl is possessed and that she needs to be exorcised." he said quickly, motioning to Bailey.

Bailey's eyes opened wide at the sight of the priest. "_Get away from me!_" she crowed, in English. She fought harder and managed to free one of her wrists from Kirby's grip, flailing wildly and catching Zack hard on the shoulder.

"Ow!" Zack cried, rubbing his arm. He snatched Bailey's arm and held it tight. "She's stronger than you'd think."

"That's what I said!" Kirby responded.

Father Damien was watching with a concerned look on his face. "This is a highly unusual problem."

"You don't look like a priest." Cody said skeptically, folding his arms and sizing up the priest.

Damien looked down at his casual summer clothes. "Well, I am on vacation." he said with a small smile.

"You look young."

"I'm thirty-one." the priest responded.

"Finished college?"

"I graduated from St. Joseph's seven years ago." Father Damien confirmed. "Double majored in theology and psychology."

"Ever done an exorcism before?" Cody pressed.

"No," Father Damien admitted. "But then, not many people have."

Cody sighed, clearly not impressed with the qualifications of Bailey's only chance. "Can you save my girlfriend?" he asked finally.

"_No one can! No one can!_" the hysterical voice of Zaria taunted through Bailey's lips.

The priest ran a hand over his face. "Well, son, I don't know. The thing is, most "possessions" are in reality mental diseases. If this is a genuine possession, I'll need to get authorized by my bishop to perform an exorcism. And then there's the matter of the ritual- I have no idea what the success rate for exorcisms is." he looked around, seeing the pleading expressions on the faces of everyone in the room. "I promise to do anything in my power to help."

Bailey stopped thrashing for a moment and her voice softened. "Please try..." she croaked out in her normal voice.

Father Damien met her eyes. "I will."

Her face morphed into an expression of hatred and she threw up at Father Damien's sandaled feet.

* * *

Bailey opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling. She tried to get up and couldn't. Panic overtook her as she realized she was incapable of movement. "Help." she rasped. "Where am I?"

Cody scrambled out of his chair by the side of her bed and moved into her line of vision. "Bailey? Is that you?"

Tears leaked out of Bailey's eyes and dripped down the sides of her face. "Cody..." she whimpered. "I can't move."

"It's okay." Cody soothed. "You're in a private room in the infirmary. You went into some kind of spasm and they had to sedate you. You can't move because you're strapped to the bed." he clasped the hand that was bound to her side in his.

"Can you unstrap me?"

"I wish I could, Bailey." Cody said, hating that he had to deny her. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself, or anyone else."

"You're right." Bailey said softly. "I hurt you... and I hurt Moseby, and Kirby... I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." She blinked and two more tears slid off her face. "I'm scared, Cody." she confessed in a whisper. "Will you stay with me? Even if Zaria comes back?"

"Of course I will. You couldn't keep me away." Cody assured her tenderly. He tentatively touched her face, wiping away the tear tracks. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you, Bails."

She was unable to look down at their clasped hands, but she could feel the reassuring warmth of his touch and squeezed gently. "Me too." she said faintly. "I feel so weak."

"Probably the drugs." Cody said softly. "Don't worry, Bailey. Father Damien said that he can't perform an exorcism until they're sure you're physically and mentally healthy, so while you were out they did all sorts of blood tests and brain scans. As soon as the results come back he can get started."

"I think the drugs made Zaria sleep too." Bailey guessed timidly. "She's still here, I can feel her, but she's not controlling me anymore... I hate being trapped in my own body! Oh, Cody, I wish she was gone!" she said, beginning to sob.

"She will be soon." Cody reassured her, feeling tears prick his own eyes. "Bails... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault..."

"No..." Bailey whispered.

"I thought that making an archaeological discovery was the most important thing... I ignored all the warnings and legends, and now _you're_ paying the price for _my_ ambition... I'm so sorry Bailey."

"_You should be._" Bailey's eyes flashed and Cody suddenly found his hand in a grip of steel. "_You stole my crown, you disturbed my slumber, and now this girl is in pain because of you. I can cause pain, Cody Martin._" Bailey began to twitch and scream in her own voice.

"Stop it!" Cody shouted over Bailey's screams. "Leave her alone! Please!" he tried to pull his hand out of hers but her grasp was too painfully tight.

Bailey's screams stopped suddenly. "_You know what else is painful?_" Zaria said in a taunting voice. _"Exorcism. If you really loved her, Cody Martin, you wouldn't put her through that. Loosen the straps. Let us go."_ Her hand crushed his even harder, bruising the sides of his fingers. Her nails dug into the back of his hand as she began to squeeze unbearably tightly.

"I won't let you go." Cody gritted out. "We're going to do an exorcism, Bailey will be free, and you'll go to Hell where you belong." he hissed in pain as blood began to trickle out of his hand where her nails were cutting him. "Do your worst, Zaria." he said bravely. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

* * *

Woody, Zack, and London stood anxiously nearby as the ship's middle-aged doctor, Dr. Christine Brown, explained her findings to Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, Mr. Blanket, and Father Damien. "Neither the CAT scan nor the EEG showed any type of abnormal brain activity, and we found no tumors that could be causing this abrupt personality change. Her organs are in fine working order, her body temperature is normal. Her bloodwork came back clean. Physically, she's healthy as a horse. Mentally... well, Mr. Blanket already gave his professional opinion, and I have to say I'm in agreement with him."

Mr. Blanket slid his arm around the ship's physician's waist. "Thank you, Christine."

She shook his arm off and glared at him. "I believe I've told you to stop doing that." She turned back to the group of adults. "The combination of symptoms you've described to me: undue aggression, sudden physical strength, voice changes, speaking in unknown languages... they're nothing I've ever seen before. And from what I've read..." She looked directly at the priest. "We may be looking at a legitimate demonic possession."

Father Damien nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. I was afraid of that. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to reach my superior again." He exited the infirmary.

"I don't suppose you've been able to contact Miss Pickett's family?" the doctor asked Mr. Moseby, who shook his head regretfully.

"Bailey always says the phone lines at her house are down more than they're up." Woody volunteered. "Especially during tornado season."

Doctor Brown frowned at the three students. "I understand that you are Bailey's teacher, Miss Tutweiller, and that you, Mr. Moseby, are acting in loco parentis until Bailey's parents can be reached. But why must these three be privy to Miss Pickett's sensitive medical information?"

Zack folded his arms. "Because we're the closest thing she's got to family on this ship."

"That's right!" London agreed. "She's my roommate. And I'm a Tipton."

"Ahh." said Doctor Brown in a tone of sudden understanding. "Well, please excuse us, Miss Tipton. We have a few more things to discuss." she ushered Mr. Moseby, Mr. Blanket, and Miss Tutweiller into her office. "Please tell Father Damien to join us when he's ready to begin with the proceedings." She closed the door behind her.

London sighed. "I wish there was something we could do to help Bailey. It just isn't the same having the cabin all to myself." Then she gasped. "I can't believe I just said that!"

Father Damien came up to them, looking uneasy. "I haven't been able to reach the bishop, or anyone else at the parish." he held his cell phone up. "And my cell is only getting two bars."

"Yeah, we tend to get lousy reception at sea." Zack sympathized.

"Wait, priests are allowed to have cell phones?" Woody asked. "Didn't you have to take some kind of oath? You know: 'no phones, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury'?"

Father Damien shook his head and smiled. "Yes, priests are allowed to have cell phones, son. And we aren't required to swear any oaths on the _Gilligan's Island_ theme song."

"So, if you can't get permission from those other holy guys, does that mean you won't help our friend?" London asked the priest.

"Of course he'll help." Zack said. "It'll just have to be an under-the-table exorcism. Right...?" he nudged Father Damien with his elbow.

Father Damien looked uncomfortable. "Well..."

London put her hands on her hips and tapped the pointy toe of her stiletto. "I don't see what being under a table has to do with it. Then if he cures Bailey she'll just sit up and bonk her head."

Woody stared at her. "I think when you were a baby somebody bonked _your_ head."

"Uh!" London gasped, affronted, holding the crown of her head.

"Kids, kids." Father Damien said. "The thing is, an exorcism cannot be legitimate without the consent of the Vatican."

"Well you can at least read the ritual, can't you?" Zack said insistently. "Zaria doesn't have to know it's an illegitimate exorcism!"

"I just don't want to do more harm than good." the priest said.

"What harm could it do?" Woody asked.

"If she's just mentally ill performing an exorcism could reinforce her delusions."

"Or it could act as a placebo and cure them!" Zack argued. "Besides, she's _not_ mentally ill. Didn't you hear the doctor?" He met the priest's gaze directly. "She's possessed. I know it. I mean, I've seen _The Exorcist_ like twelve times."

Father Damien appeared to be coming around to the idea. "You may have a point, Zack." he admitted. "I promised that girl I would help her in any way that I can, and I'd like to think that my vows wouldn't prevent me from doing that." he sighed. "You know, I've never seen _The Exorcist_. Does it have a happy ending?"

"Uh, yeah." Zack lied.

"Definitely." Woody said at the same time.

"It really does." London agreed.

The priest nodded. "Okay then. I'll do it." he walked over to Doctor Brown's office to inform the adults of his decision.

As soon as the door was shut, Zack turned to his friends guiltily. "It _kind _of has a happy ending."

"Father Damien might not think that." London snorted.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. What do you think of it? Next chapter: the exorcism!


	4. Part IV

A/N: Sorry for the wait- I thought I posted this days ago! Okay, here it is, the exorcism... I didn't make it as graphic as I could have, nor did I include the entire Catholic ritual for exorcism (because it is long and somewhat boring), but I did use verbatim sections from the actual (English-version) ritual. I tried to make it as factually accurate as possible.

For those of you who have not seen _The Exorcist_ and want to get the jokes (lol) here is the really short version: two priests are called upon to exorcise an ancient demon from a young girl. The older priest dies of a heart attack during the exorcism. The younger priest (named Father Damien) challenges the demon to leave the girl's body and enter his instead. When the demon does, the priest leaps out of a window, killing himself. The girl is fine and doesn't remember any part of it. (While my story contains references to the movie, it does not necessarily follow the plotline of the movie!)

Enjoy!

* * *

It was over an hour before Father Damien was ready to begin the exorcism. He had been busy- preparing holy water, collecting together various religious artifacts, donning the traditional garments, arranging for the exorcism to take place in the small chapel on the Lido Deck used for Sunday services, and, of course, praying. Bailey had once again been sedated in preparation for the move to the chapel. Her friends and doctors milled outside her room nervously, just waiting for something to happen.

Father Damien appeared in the infirmary dressed in his robe and stole. "I'm almost ready." he said solemnly. "But I'm going to need someone to help me."

"I will." Cody volunteered immediately.

"You will?" Zack said. "No way. You were too scared to watch _The Exorcist, _let alone _be_ one. I can do it."

Cody shot him a dirty look. "Shut up, Zack."

"Boys, this could be dangerous." Mr. Moseby interceded. "I can't let either of you do it. I'll do it."

"Mr. Moseby, please-" Cody began.

"No, Cody." Zack said, putting a restraining hand on his brother's arm.

Cody took a deep breath. "Would you excuse us for a second? I need a word with my brother." He dragged Zack around the corner. "_What_ are you doing?" he hissed.

"Look, Codester, I just wasn't sure if you'd be able to handle seeing Bailey like that." Zack said.

"You think I'm a baby? That I'm too scared to do this?" Cody seethed. "Well, I'm not. Not when it's something this important. This is _Bailey_ we're talking about! And for your information, I _did_ see _The Exorcist._"

"Yeah, through the cracks in your fingers while you were screaming 'Turn it off! Turn it off!'" Zack tried to joke. Cody clearly wasn't amused. Zack sighed. "Look, if you saw the movie you know what happens at the end. Moseby wasn't kidding when he said this could be dangerous. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Cody's expression softened just a little. "Zack, that was just a movie." he pointed out rationally. "Besides, I don't want anything to happen to you either."

"Yeah, but I _should_ be the one to do it. I'm the one who got her possessed in the first place, by disturbing that stupid crown." Zack said guiltily. "It's my fault, I should be the one to help fix it."

Cody shook his head at Zack fondly. "Of all times, you choose _now_ to make reparations for your actions?"

"Maybe." Zack said. "Depending on what reparations means."

Cody rolled his eyes, but put a hand on his twin's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Zack. We couldn't have expected this to happen. I mean, _possession_? It's like we're in some stupid ghost story. But," he continued seriously, "I promised Bailey I was going to stay with her, and I plan to keep that promise. You've gotta let me do this, Zack. I love her."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Zack said finally. He held his arms open for a hug. "Just be careful, bro, okay? I don't want to have to explain to Mom that you threw yourself out a window."

Cody hugged him tightly. "I'll be careful." After a long moment they separated and returned to the group. "Mr. Moseby, I'd like to be the one to help Father Damien with the exorcism." Cody said firmly.

Mr. Moseby looked uncertain. "I'm responsible for you, Cody. I just don't think it's a good idea."

"I'm not a kid anymore." Cody reminded him. "I'm seventeen."

"A legal minor." Mr. Moseby pointed out in the same tone of voice.

"I promised Bailey I wouldn't leave her." Cody said pleadingly. "Please, Mr. Moseby."

Mr. Moseby studied the boy, seeing in his eyes that he wasn't about to back down. He nodded reluctantly. "Father, you have your volunteer." He squeezed Cody's shoulder affectionately. "Good luck."

London reached over and gave Cody a one-armed hug. "I know you can do it." she said quietly.

"Thanks." Cody said, stepping up beside the priest. "I'm ready." Together they wheeled the stretcher containing the unconscious Bailey out of the infirmary, towards the Lido Deck.

Zack watched them leave, biting his lip. "Go get her, little brother."

* * *

Bailey began to moan as the stretcher approached the doors to the small chapel. It was late at night, so there was no one on the deck to stare as Father Damien took Cody aside. "Listen, son, you just do exactly what I tell you to do. Don't talk to the spirit, don't ask it any questions. Don't listen to it. Demons lie, and once the exorcism begins it may try to say things to upset us, or get under our skin. Most of all, just pray, and believe." he opened Cody's hand and placed a small silver crucifix in it. "Hold onto this."

Cody just nodded. "I can do that."

The priest smiled at him. "Good man." He took the end of the stretcher nearest Bailey's head and began to wheel her through the chapel doors headfirst. As she crossed the threshold, the stretcher began to shake violently. Bailey awakened and began to sob.

"Don't take me in there!" she cried. "Please!" Her eyes met Cody's as he stood by the foot of her stretcher and she appealed to him, begging shamelessly. "Don't let him bring me in there, Cody. She'll kill me! Cody! She'll kill me!" She ended with a shrill scream.

Cody's face turned pale. She sounded like herself, but how could he know whether she was telling the truth? He looked to Father Damien.

"Help me bring her in." Father Damien said firmly.

"Okay." Cody said softly. Forcing himself to ignore Bailey's pleas, he grasped the other end of the vibrating stretcher and lifted it gently over the threshold, shutting the chapel doors behind them. The chapel was tidy but dark, no light streaming through the immense stained-glass windows at this late hour.

Once in, they wheeled the stretcher down the main aisle, stopping when they got to the altar. Father Damien positioned her so she was in full view of the large crucifix at the front of the room. He tossed Cody a book of matches. "Light the candles." he instructed, gesturing to the array of candles situated around the altar. Cody did as he was told while Father Damien opened the books he had brought- a Bible and a copy of the Roman Ritual. Bailey continued to sob and wail.

"Now, come over here and hold the head of the stretcher." Father Damien told Cody. "If this thing shakes apart I don't want her to hit her head on the ground."

Cody nodded and moved into position. Father Damien took his place at her side. He then produced a clear bottle. "Holy water." he explained, opening it and sprinkling it over first Cody and then himself. He made the sign of the cross over Cody. "Protect us, Lord. Kyrie, eléison." He took a deep breath before sprinkling the holy water over Bailey.

She shrieked when it touched her skin, thrashing and screaming. "_Stop! Cease! I will kill you both!_" she raged in Zaria's voice. Over her screams, Father Damien recited the Litany of the Saints in its original Latin. Cody, being a student of Latin, provided the appropriate responses in a shaky voice. Bailey screamed and swore as the priest appealed to the long list of saints.

Father Damien made the sign of the cross over Bailey, causing her to scream even louder. Profanities began to spew from her mouth as he opened his mouth to begin the actual exorcism ritual. "I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every satanic power of the enemy, every scepter from hell, and all your fallen companions; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." His voice was loud, confident, and commanding. "Begone and stay far from this creature of God."

As he continued to read the ritual, Bailey began to shiver, swinging her head from side to side. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she bit at her own lips, bloody foam spilling from the corners of her mouth. Cody willed himself to be strong, closing his eyes and concentrating on the ritual to avoid seeing the look of wild hatred in her eyes.

"Why, then, do you stand and resist, knowing as you must that Christ the Lord brings your plans to nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered in sacrifice, in Joseph sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb, crucified as man, yet triumphed over the powers of hell." Father Damien recited.

Suddenly a wind blew through the chapel, extinguishing the candles and leaving the three in eerie darkness. At the same time, all four legs of Bailey's stretcher snapped, sending her crashing toward the floor. Cody's grip on the head of the stretcher prevented her head from falling too quickly, and he gently lowered her the rest of the way to the floor. Taking his lead from Father Damien, he knelt by her head. He looked at the priest in alarm as the straps binding Bailey began to stretch and snap one by one.

"Hold her, Cody!" the father cried. "We have to finish the ritual!"

"Bailey!" Cody gasped involuntarily as he was suddenly assaulted from below- Bailey's body was contorted at an unnatural angle, and she had reached up and clawed his face with one newly-freed hand. He grabbed her wrist as she attempted to do it again.

"Cody! You insufferable, know-it-all slime!" Bailey screamed at him over the sound of Father Damien's chanting. "This is all your fault! Everything that's happened is your fault! I hate you! I hate you!"

Cody pursed his lips and kept his grip on her, pinning her arm against his chest. When the strap holding her other wrist snapped, Cody quickly pinned it to the floor with one of his knees. "_No you don't._" he whispered, mostly to himself.

Bailey's shriek changed suddenly. "Ow! Cody! You're hurting me!" she cried. "Cody, stop! This isn't like you! Please! Stop it!"

He was so startled that he nearly let her go. "Is it gone?"

"Yes!" Bailey insisted. "Cody, it's me! Don't you know me? Please, you're hurting me!"

Cody would have released her wrist if Father Damien hadn't placed a strong hand over his. "She's lying Cody! It's one of its tricks. The ritual isn't over yet."

Bailey's head swiveled toward the priest and she hissed, spitting at him. "You monster!" she yelled. "This isn't working! How can you do such a thing to an innocent girl?"

The priest didn't falter. Marking her forehead with the sign of the cross, he continued, "Begone, then, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this sign of the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever." He nodded at Cody, and together they said, "Amen."

Another wind whistled through the empty pews. Bailey lay silent, and Cody whispered, "Did it work?"

Father Damien was breathing heavily. "I don't know." he confessed. "We have to make sure. Do you know Bailey's middle name?"

"Rachel." Cody said without hesitation.

The priest raised his hands and made one last appeal. "Let your mighty hand cast him out of your servant, Bailey Rachel Pickett, so he may no longer hold captive this person whom it pleased you to make in your image, and to redeem through your Son; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever."

"Amen." Cody breathed.

There was a shrill scream and Bailey made a horrible choking sound, her body spasming. As she shook violently, a green vapor seemed to rise out of her mouth and nose. It floated first towards the priest, then towards Cody, who repelled it by exposing the cross Father Damien had given him. Finally, the mist sank, seeping through the cracks in the wooden floor until it was no more. As soon as the last of the mist had left her body, Bailey fell limp, her head lolling back, her eyes closed.

"Is she okay?" Father Damien asked breathlessly, stunned by what had just transpired. "I think... I think it's all over."

Cody was feeling desperately for a pulse. He found it beating strong in her neck. "She's alive." he nearly sobbed, overwhelmed with relief. "Bailey? Bails?" He smoothed back the tangles of hair that had fallen in her face. Her expression was peaceful and motionless. "We should get her to the doctor." Cody said, fear slowly replacing the triumph he had felt just a minute ago.

"Yes we should." Father Damien agreed, pushing himself off the floor. He reached down a hand to help Cody up, but at that moment Bailey began to stir and his helping hand was forgotten.

"Bailey!" Cody exclaimed as her eyes fluttered open.

She blinked her big brown eyes, taking in her surroundings. "Cody... she's gone." she murmured. "Oh, Cody!" Gingerly, she maneuvered her limbs until she was sitting upright, throwing herself into her boyfriend's arms. "Thank you!"

Cody pulled her tight against him, shaking from relief. "Thank God," was all he could say.

Pulling away slightly, Bailey reached out and grasped Damien's hand. "Thank you, Father. You saved me." she said earnestly, wiping tears from her face with the side of her other hand.

"Don't thank _me_." Father Damien smiled benevolently and raised his eyes to the heavens. "I'm just doing my job."

Bailey laughed a little. "Still, it must take guts to perform an exorcism after what happened to the priests in _The Exorcist._" she joked weakly.

Damien frowned. "What happened to the-...? I've really got to watch this movie." he said, shaking his head and walking toward the chapel doors, tactfully giving Bailey and Cody a few moments alone.

"Cody." He still hadn't released his tight hold on her, and Bailey suddenly realized there were tears on his face as well. She ran a gentle hand over the bleeding scratches on his cheek. "I did this to you." she remembered. "And the things I said! I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Cody answered surely. "It wasn't you."

"That was so, so scary. Thank you for not leaving me alone."

"I would never." Cody vowed, pulling her close again and talking into her shoulder. "Bailey, I'm sorry for everything."

He could feel the movement as she shook her head no. "It wasn't your fault. No matter what-" she shuddered, "-_Zaria_ said." She carded her fingers through his hair lovingly. "You must have been so afraid..."

Cody faced her again. "I was," he admitted. "But I would do anything for you, you know that."

Bailey swiped at her eyes again. "Stop..." she said with a watery smile. "You'll make me start crying again." she took his hand in hers, carefully avoiding putting pressure on the bruises she'd left earlier. "I love you, Cody Martin."

"I love you too, Bailey Rachel Pickett."

"Let's get out of here?"

"You read my mind."

* * *

A/N: Boris chose Bailey's middle name. Cute, right? As always, feedback is definitely appreciated!


	5. Part V

A/N: You all thought I was finished! Well, I wasn't, but I am now. Enjoy the aftermath!

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the porthole into the sterile white room as Bailey finally laid back against her pillows, finished with all of the medical proddings and pokings the doctors wanted to do before they released her.

"Well, Miss Pickett." Doctor Brown smiled at her. "It looks like I'm going to get to give you a clean bill of health. How are you feeling?"

"Great!" Bailey said brightly. Then she yawned. "A little tired."

"You've been through a lot." the doctor agreed sympathetically. "Do you think you're up for visitors? Because there's quite a line outside your door."

"Hey, maybe some of them are for me!" Marcus joked from the other bed.

Bailey nodded at Doctor Brown before grinning warmly at Marcus. "I'm so glad they let me room with you, Marcus. I would have hated to be alone after that whole mess. How are you feeling?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Just great." he deadpanned. "But, seriously, Bailey, I'm so glad you're okay. We were all really worried."

"Thanks." Bailey said. "For the record, I thought Luis was joking about the size of those spiders."

"So did I, sister." Marcus sighed. "So did I."

Bailey's first visitor was Father Damien. As the quiet man sat down by her bedside and smiled, she was suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of gratitude, reaching over and hugging him tightly. "I know you're going to say it wasn't you," she whispered. "But thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't agreed to help."

"Whatever happened was a miracle." the priest said. "I can't take credit for that. But you're welcome for agreeing to help. You're a lucky girl, Bailey Pickett." he chuckled. "You have a lot of friends who really love you. That roommate of yours even offered to commission me a gold statue of myself."

Bailey laughed. "That's London for you. I know you probably don't have a huge need for gold statues, but if there's any way I can thank you...? I mean, I don't want you to get in trouble with the church for performing an illegal exorcism or anything..."

"You knew about that?" Father Damien was taken aback.

"Zaria did." Bailey said. "She knew a lot of things she wasn't supposed to."

Father Damien nodded. "Many demons do, according to lore." Then he squeezed Bailey's hand. "I don't want any repayment. I think I did a good thing." He winked. "And what the Bishop doesn't know..."

"You're not going to tell anyone?" Bailey asked. "But you're a hero! You probably saved my life."

"I didn't become a priest to get fame and recognition." Father Damien pointed out gently. "I did it to help people."

"Well, you helped me." Bailey told him as he got up to leave. "Thank you, Father."

"Thank _you_, Bailey Rachel." Damien returned, pausing in the doorway. "It's not every man who gets to witness a genuine miracle."

Cody passed the priest on his way in, making straight for Bailey. He climbed onto the bed and enfolded her in his arms. "How are you holding up?" his tone belied his guilt for leaving her alone. "The doctor said you're looking good. I'm so sorry she wouldn't let me stay with you."

Bailey leaned into him. "It's okay, sweetie. I am feeling better. Zaria is definitely gone." She closed her eyes and shuddered, causing Cody to pull her closer. "It's just weird, you know? It feels... quiet, in my head, without her. When she was inside me I felt all cluttered- we had two sets of thoughts, two sets of feelings, and they got all mixed up until I couldn't tell which were mine and which were hers..." She buried her face in Cody's chest. "I felt so angry. I wanted to hurt people. I felt like I hated _you_... I never want to feel that way again."

"I'll never give you a reason to." Cody promised. He smiled weakly. "And that includes messing with cursed objects."

Bailey laughed despite herself. "I know how I feel about you now." she whispered, looking into his eyes. "Or rather, I always knew how I felt, but now I can actually _feel_ it again." she leaned in to kiss him sweetly on the lips and they both smiled. "Without her everything is so much clearer."

Marcus stirred slightly in the other bed, where he was pretending to be asleep in order to give the couple some semblance of privacy. Bailey looked over at him and smiled fondly. "We do know you're awake, Marcus. But thanks."

Marcus opened his eyes, smiling sheepishly, and sat up. Cody cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you everyone else is out in the hall waiting for you to see them." he told Bailey. The bright grin that spread across her face made it impossible not to smile too.

"Guys, come in!" she called. The door opened immediately and London bounded in, followed by Zack, Woody, Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, and Kirby. London pounced on her roommate, enfolding her in a hug. "Bailey! You're back!"

Bailey grinned, hugging her back. "So I guess you missed me?"

"Are you kidding?" London said. "Of course I did! You're a much better roommate than Zack!"

"Not that she would know." Zack spoke up quickly, as Moseby glared at him.

"Not that I would know." London repeated obediently. "...But he leaves his dirty socks all over the place!"

"It's true." Cody said.

"I hear that." Marcus agreed.

"Come on, her roommate was possessed!" Zack pleaded his case to a frowning Moseby. "She had to sleep somewhere!"

Mr. Moseby rolled his eyes heavenward. "Oh, all right. I suppose these were desperate circumstances." There was an unspoken warning in his tone that, while he was letting them off this time, future rule violations of this sort would not be tolerated. He turned his attention to the girl in the bed. "I'm very glad you're okay, Bailey." he said warmly.

"Thanks, Mr. Moseby." Bailey returned. "And I'm really sorry about the scratching. I tried to stop her. That dress shirt was a very nice color."

Mr. Moseby waved off the destruction of his clothing with one bandaged hand. "No matter."

"You too, Kirby. Thanks for not letting me hurt anyone."

Kirby touched the brim of his security guard cap. "No problem, Bailey. That's m'job."

"And... where's Mr. Blanket?" Bailey wanted to know.

Woody patted his stomach. "Angry tummy." he said by way of explanation. The rest of the group made disgusted faces at the thought.

"Miss Tutweiller?" Bailey said tentatively. "I was wondering-"

Miss Tutweiller produced a homework packet from behind her back. "I thought you might ask." she said, handing the packet to an elated Bailey.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, beginning to flip through it. "I'm three full days behind!"

"Yep, she's back to normal." Miss Tutweiller smiled at her star pupil.

"Yes she is." Zack agreed, rolling his eyes.

"Hey Miss Tutweiller, whatever happened with Luis?" Bailey asked.

Miss Tutweiller shrugged regretfully. "It didn't work out... I mean, he likes _Cats: the Musical. _What's up with that?"

Mr. Moseby made a half-offended, half-embarrassed face that implied that Miss Tutweiller's date wasn't the only fan of _Cats_.

"Ugh, I don't know." Bailey said, agreeing with her teacher's judgment. She looked around at all her friends and tears began to come to her eyes once more. "Thanks, guys. For sticking with me when I was acting crazy. And for finding a way to save me." She smiled at Cody as he wrapped a comforting arm around her waist.

"Well, you'd do the same for us." Marcus said.

"Which is good, 'cause we're always acting crazy." Woody added.

"Hey... _I'm _the one who suggested the exorcism in the first place!" Zack pointed out, never one to let anyone else take credit for his ideas.

"Well, thank you." Bailey sat up straight and pulled Zack into an embrace, kissing his cheek.

"No prob." Zack said. As he hugged her, he whispered teasingly into her ear so that only she could hear. "After all, you could be my sister someday."

Bailey pulled back, blushing, and rested her head on Cody's shoulder. "Maybe I could." she agreed slowly. "Oh boy..."

"Maybe you could what?" Cody asked, rubbing his hand over her arm in a soothing motion.

"Oh, teach Zack how to carve corn cob sculptures." Bailey improvised with a yawn.

Zack made a face at the obvious lie. "Now that I think about it, I'm good." he said, declining her fake offer. He watched her nuzzle her cheek into Cody's shoulder. "Come on, everyone. The girl's obviously had a long night. We should let her get some rest."

Bailey frowned. "What time is it, anyway?" she asked tiredly.

Mr. Moseby checked his watch. "6:45 am." he answered, stifling a yawn of his own.

"I'm surprised you're up this early." Bailey said to Zack.

"He's _still_ up, silly." London told her. "He's been up all night. We all have."

"Aww, guys!" Bailey was touched. "I'm sorry y'all didn't get your sleep worrying about me."

Zack waved it off. "No problem. We've got class in forty five minutes. We can catch up then." Woody and London nodded in agreement. Even Cody wasn't looking like he completely disagreed with the sentiment.

"Hey!" Miss Tutweiller protested. "That's _my _class!" Then she sighed pathetically. "...When do _I_ get to sleep?"

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read, and especially to those who reviewed. Your comments and thoughts really mean a lot to me- keep 'em coming!


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